FAMILY THERAPY IN AUSTRALIA: TAKING A SQUIZ.

Family Therapy has developed rapidly in Australia since the 1970's, with associations and training programs in the major cities, and a national journal and annual conference. This reflects both international trends and changes in Australian society. An overview of the sociohistorical context of Australian life suggests some particular issues confronting Australian family therapy and the need for local styles of response, as against too-ready acceptance of imported models. The question is how universally relevant are the models and strategies of family therapy, and how culture-bound? Australian family therapy may provide an example for working out this question, a key one for family therapy in its next "international" decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]